Contact

As an academic pediatric cardiologist, I am interested in optimizing outcomes for all children with cardiovascular disease. My research program ranges from preventive cardiology – where we evaluate and promote physical activity in children with congenital and non-congenital cardiovascular disease – to interventional pediatric cardiology– where we are interested in optimizing outcomes of interventional cardiac catheterizations and pediatric cardiac surgery.

I currently serve as President of the Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association and am also a member of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program, where I lead the development of the inaugural Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurement, Diagnosis, and Assessment of Risk of Pediatric Hypertension.

Publications

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Children With Congenital Heart Disease.Voss C and Duncombe SL and Dean PH and de Souza AM and Harris KCDOI: 10.1161/jaha.116.004665PubMed: 2826485903/2017

Validity of Commercial Activity Trackers in Children With Congenital Heart Disease.Voss C and Gardner RF and Dean PH and Harris KCDOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2016.11.024PubMed: 2834758112/2016

Hybrid stenting for left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries.Rathgeber SL and Gandhi SK and Harris KCPubMed: 2793845712/2016

Valvar aortico-ventricular tunnel: an insight into the development of the great arteries.Maghrabi K and Gandhi S and Harris KCPubMed: 2789436911/2016

Hypertension Canada's 2016 Canadian Hypertension Education Program Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurement, Diagnosis, Assessment of Risk, Prevention, and Treatment of Hypertension.Leung AA and Nerenberg K and Daskalopoulou SS and McBrien K and Zarnke KB and Dasgupta K and Cloutier L and Gelfer M and Lamarre-Cliche M and Milot A and Bolli P and Tremblay G and McLean D and Tobe SW and Ruzicka M and Burns KD and Vallée M and Prasad GV and Lebel M and Feldman RDDOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2016.02.066PubMed: 2711829105/2016

Hypertension Canada's 2016 Canadian Hypertension Education Program Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurement, Diagnosis, and Assessment of Risk of Pediatric Hypertension.Harris KC and Benoit G and Dionne J and Feber J and Cloutier L and Zarnke KB and Padwal RS and Rabi DM and Fournier A and CHEP Guidelines Task ForceDOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2016.02.075PubMed: 2711829205/2016

Peritoneal-pericardial communication in an adolescent on peritoneal dialysis.Teoh CW and Nadel H and Armstrong K and Harris KC and White CTDOI: 10.1007/s00467-015-3206-3PubMed: 2638658901/2016

The 2015 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for blood pressure measurement, diagnosis, assessment of risk, prevention, and treatment of hypertension.Daskalopoulou SS and Rabi DM and Zarnke KB and Dasgupta K and Nerenberg K and Cloutier L and Gelfer M and Lamarre-Cliche M and Milot A and Bolli P and McKay DW and Tremblay G and McLean D and Tobe SW and Ruzicka M and Burns KD and Vallée M and Ramesh Prasad GV and Lebel M and Feldman RDDOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2015.02.016PubMed: 2593648305/2015

Obesity and arterial stiffness in children: systematic review and meta-analysis.Cote AT and Phillips AA and Harris KC and Sandor GG and Panagiotopoulos C and Devlin AMDOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.114.305062PubMed: 2563331404/2015

Should early extubation be the goal for children after congenital cardiac surgery?Harris KC and Holowachuk S and Pitfield S and Sanatani S and Froese N and Potts JE and Gandhi SKDOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.06.093PubMed: 2515646712/2014

Childhood obesity, arterial stiffness, and prevalence and treatment of hypertension.Armstrong KR and Cote AT and Devlin AM and Harris KCDOI: 10.1007/s11936-014-0339-9PubMed: 2524879611/2014

Optical coherence tomography for the evaluation of asymmetric cardiac allograft vasculopathy in a child.Greenway SC and Hosking M and Harris KCDOI: 10.1111/petr.12303PubMed: 2495396909/2014

Feasibility of optical coherence tomography in children with Kawasaki disease and pediatric heart transplant recipients.Harris KC and Manouzi A and Fung AY and De Souza A and Bezerra HG and Potts JE and Hosking MCDOI: 10.1161/circimaging.113.001764PubMed: 2487405607/2014

Childhood obesity and cardiovascular dysfunction.Cote AT and Harris KC and Panagiotopoulos C and Sandor GG and Devlin AMDOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.07.042PubMed: 2395433910/2013

Single-ventricle anatomy predicts delayed microstructural brain development.Sethi V and Tabbutt S and Dimitropoulos A and Harris KC and Chau V and Poskitt K and Campbell A and Azakie A and Xu D and Barkovich AJ and Miller SP and McQuillen PSDOI: 10.1038/pr.2013.29PubMed: 2340711605/2013

Biophysical properties of the aorta and left ventricle and exercise capacity in obese children.Harris KC and Al Saloos HA and De Souza AM and Sanatani S and Hinchliffe M and Potts JE and Sandor GGDOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2012.05.019PubMed: 2272800209/2012

Economic evaluation of palivizumab in children with congenital heart disease: a Canadian perspective.Harris KC and Anis AH and Crosby MC and Cender LM and Potts JE and Human DGDOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2010.12.064PubMed: 216641002011

Right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia in children.Harris KC and Potts JE and Fournier A and Gross GJ and Kantoch MJ and Cote JM and Sanatani SDOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2006.08.076PubMed: 1713790012/2006

Research

Interventional Pediatric CardiologyThrough collaborations with cardiac surgery and cardiac anesthesia we aim to optimize care delivery before, during and after interventional procedures for children with congenital heart disease and cardiac transplant recipients. We are currently evaluating the clinical impact of a new high resolution intravascular imaging technique called ‘Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)’. We have successfully established an International Pediatric OCT Registry and the Children’s Heart Centre serves as the lead centre, and hosts both the core imaging laboratory and data coordinating centre for evaluating this exciting new imaging modality in children and adolescents.

Cardiovascular outcomesI am interested in the childhood origins of non-congenital cardiovascular disease. We previously found that at-risk children – for example, individuals with obesity or congenital heart disease – have significant cardiovascular changes already in childhood, such as aortic stiffness and elevated blood pressure. We are presently conducting interventional and longitudinal observational studies to evaluate the impact of physical activity and exercise on cardiovascular health in these children.

Vascular health is also a concern in children who have had Kawasaki disease. I am actively involved in evaluating the coronary artery changes in children with Kawasaki disease. I serve as the site PI for a North American collaboration evaluating the long-term outcomes of coronary aneurysms in children with KD.

Preventive CardiologyPhysical activity is critical to optimize long-term cardiovascular health in children with congenital and non-congenital heart disease. We use state-of-the-art measurement tools and new technologies, such as commercial activity trackers, to better understand and promote physical activity levels in our patients. My research in this area also investigates perceived barriers and facilitators for physical activity in these children and their parents.

Honours & Awards

Resident Research Mentor Award, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia (2015)

Young Investigator Award, Canadian Cardiovascular Society (2013)

UBC Fellow Research Award, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia (2011)

Congratulations to the BC Children's and BC Women's investigators who were awarded funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant Spring 2018 competition, as well as the BC Children's investigators who received funding from the recent CIHR Foundation and Team Grant competitions.

A new study from BC Children’s, UBC and an international team of researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine is the first to identify a rarely-seen type of DNA mutation as the cause of an inherited metabolic disorder.

The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), located within BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, has led research projects, provided insight and evidence, and conducted public awareness campaigns to reduce injuries among children and adults.

A pan-Canadian program involving University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital researchers is one step closer to improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of concussions in youth sport, thanks to $12 million in funding from the National Football League’s scientific advisory board.

Videos

Donate to Research

We believe there’s nothing we can’t do with your support. It can take years to turn scientific breakthrough into new interventions and treatments. Funding helps speed the pace of change. When given the resources, we can bring transformative therapies – and hope – out of the laboratory and into the clinic to save and improve children’s lives.